White Feathers
by RitzCee
Summary: Orihime is a heavenly maiden that is stranded on earth after she loses the ability to fly back to heaven. Ichigo promises to help her return home, but at what cost to himself? IchiHime. RenRuki. Romance/Drama/Mystery
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:Most of you don't know me but I actually joined a long time ago - back in 2002. I used to write Hikaru no Go and X fanfiction under the pen name "Ritz" and my account and stories are actually still here! The only reason why I'm under this new name is because it's been so long since I last wrote anything that I can't remember what the password of my old FFnet account is. ^^; So here's to my new account and Bleach, my new inspiration for writing after a long 6 year draught. I have to thank all the wonderful IchiHime writers out there who inspired to start writing again. Your stories are wonderful. I definitely don't think I can do as much justice to the Bleach characters as well as you all can...but I hope you are able to enjoy my little story nonetheless.

Disclaimer:While the story and writing is mine, Bleach and all its characters belong to Kubo Tite-sama. I only hold the rights to this story and I am not making any money off of this fanfic. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

Story Notes:There is an ancient Chinese legend about a heavenly maiden who comes down to earth as a bird, has her clothes stolen and hidden away from her while she is bathing, and then is forced to become the wife of the man who stole her clothes. The couple have two children together and she seems happy. However, one day, she finds the clothes her husband stole in a chest, dons them and then escapes back to heaven where she belongs. It's a rather disturbing story but oddly beautiful in its own way. Given the fact that Kubo's characters are Japanese, I've set my fic for the Nara period of Japan; and while this story will draw from concepts of that legend, it is VERY loosely based.

* * *

**White Feathers, Part 1**

**By: Ritz**

"Come on Orihime, let's go!" With a move that was both graceful but jolting, Rangiku wrapped her fingers around Orihime's slim wrist and tugged - causing the girl to stumble slightly while they ran. Behind them was their home, glittering in the sun's rays, and ahead of them was the edge of the cloud they were currently moving on. The fluffy wisps that frayed at the end of the cloud seemed to beckon to them repeatedly as a light breeze ruffled and curled the misty vapours.

Orihime laughed, her enthusiasm just as great as her friend's. This was their small treat to themselves for completing the daily tasks assigned to them - Rangiku's duties being to oversee and nurture the crops budding all over the rich soil of Japan and Orihime's duties being to heal the illnesses of the weak. "We're almost there!" the younger girl cried, enable to keep the slight squeal out of her voice as they drew nearer to the edge. "Are we going to the same place as last time?"

They reached the edge just as she finished asking her question and Rangiku graced her with a dazzling smile. "No, let's go to the hot spring in Karakura this time. The smell of the cedar trees will really be soothing to my weary muscles." She let go of Orihime's hand and put her hands on both sides of her very impressive bosom. Pressing her breasts together, she thrust her chest out to her friend. "It was so hot today that I had to work hard than usual. Look at how sweaty my little valley over here is right now!"

Orihime didn't even flinch at her friend's rather lewd comment, used to her friend's tendency to give too much information. However, she lost her poise when Rangiku bent, drew her face down to Orihime's own very impressive chest and poked - causing the poor girl to yelp, jump back, and quickly cross her arms over her chest. "I bet your little valley must be so sweaty too," Rangiku said, unfazed by Orihime's reaction.

Orihime flushed. "Wh-- what-- no, Rangiku-san! I-- I'm fine! Really!"

Rangiku laughed and pulled away. She loved teasing her modest friend. "Well, shall we go?" she suggested, effectively changing the subject.

Orihime nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Each girl pressed her hands together and whispered an incantation. There was a small flash and then, the colour white slowly began to creep up from the hems of their dresses, bleaching their attire in the same hue. The long sleeves of their dresses extended and pulled backwards, the fabric turning stiff as feathers began to sprout from the material. The neckline of their dresses elongated, covering the women's heads and enveloping their bodies. Their bodies begin to shrink and soon both women were transformed into two graceful white swans. With a quick flick of Rangiku's bill, the two leapt from the clouds, their wings flapping as they flew to one of their many secret retreats - far away from the stiff formality and the rigid customs of the place they called their home. The two soared leisurely before Rangiku gave a triumphant squall. Then, they veered and dove, landing on the solid gray of the rocks surrounding the hot spring of their choice.

Wasting almost no time, their forms shimmered, their dresses growing smaller as they soon transformed back into the two beautiful women they were. With a giggle, Rangiku exclaimed, "Last one in the spring has to run naked through the woods!" She began easing her dress off her body, not caring that she was in a clearing where anyone, should anyone have been in the area, could've seen.

Orihime squeaked, her face turning a rosy red as she paused and tried to decide what to do. Unlike her flambouyant friend, the idea of changing in front of another person - even another female - made her blush to the roots of her hair. Finally, she ran behind a rock, kicked off the light blue slippers that donned her feet and struggled to slip out of her own flowing robes. Just as Orihime was loosening the ties that held her bodice in place, the last of Rangiku's clothes fell to the ground and she jumped into the water with a triumphant splash. "I win!"

"Ran-Rangiku-san!" Orihime cried, her face becoming even redder. Her flustered face made Rangiku throw back her head and laugh at her friend's distress.

"I'm just kidding," Rangiku assured. Her hand fluttered over the spring lightly, patting gently at surface of the naturally heated water. "I won't make you run around naked so come in."

Orihime smiled in relief that Rangiku had relented - as sometimes her blonde friend wasn't that accommodating when it came to acting out her crazy dares - and she undid the remaining ties on her shirt. Dropping her clothes behind the rock, Orihime quickly entered and sank shoulder-deep in the water with a happy sigh.

There was a brief silence as the two women relaxed in the warm water and enjoyed the moment. This place in Karakura was one of their favourites. The spring was not big, just a small circular hole that was only big enough for perhaps four people, but the water that flowed from the crust of the earth was clear - the sulfur smell unusually faint. The surrounding cedar trees not only shrouded the spring from others (something that was important as they were forbidden to come in contact with humans) but also gave off the most delightful aroma that calmed and soothed the senses. Rangiku had spotted this tiny treasure one day when she was watching over the rice paddies of Karakura and had instantly coaxed Orihime into exploring the area with her.

The women were best friends - similar but drastically different at the same time. Both were beautiful women with hourglass figures and long hair but that was where the resemblance ended. While Rangiku, with her wavy strawberry blonde hair and sky blue eyes, was a woman who exuded sex and confidence; Orihime, with her long straight auburn hair and warm gray eyes, was a woman who exuded innocence and gentleness. Indeed, Orihime's duties greatly suited her personality as there wasn't anything she couldn't feel empathetic towards - be it man or beast.

"So did you hear about what happened between Shunsui and Nanao the other day?" Rangiku said suddenly, breaking the silence with a rather gleeful smile. The palace's Head Musician's blatant, and sometimes rather tactless, pursuit of the Crown Prince's Private Tutor was a topic of much amusement to the surrounding heavenly maidens - much to Nanao's personal chagrin.

"No, what?" Orihime asked eagerly, leaning forward with equal glee.

"Well, I heard..."

And so began a lovely hour of much gossip and much laughter.

* * *

"Ichi-nii, we're out of wood!" the sweet voice of an equally sweet-looking 13-year old girl called out.

The brother in question, a tall man with unruly short orange hair, looked up from the leeks he was pulling out of the earth. He could only vaguely hear what Yuzu was saying out of the window of their pit house. "What?" he called back.

"She said we're out of wood," the dry tone of his other sister, Karin, floated out of the same window. Then, the girl appeared in person at the back door. "So you have to go get some now, Ichi-nii."

Ichi-nii, or Ichigo as most people knew him, gave an exasperated sigh. He straightened from his work, his mouth turned down in a scowl. "What, now? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

Karin didn't flinch at the scowl. "Yeah, but unless you want to eat your meat raw--"

"Okay, okay. I'm going."

* * *

After a long and luxurious soak in the water, Rangiku stretched her limbs and gave a great big satisfied sigh. "This is wonderful!"

Orihime grinned, feeling as equally pampered as her dear friend. She leaned against the rock and couldn't stop the small giggle that escaped her mouth. "I agree! I feel like a princess!"

Rangiku gave her friend a look, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Really? That doesn't sound like something a princess should say. Aren't you being just a little too easy to satisfy, Hime-chan?" She deliberately used her nickname for her friend, which coincidentally meant "Princess".

"Of course!" Orihime exclaimed, the light tease going unnoticed. "It's a beautiful day, the water feels so good, and the little blue men haven't attacked me once and caused me to klutz out all day!" Her right fist pumped in the air enthusiastically. "I am completely and utterly satisfied!"

Rangiku chuckled, used to her friend's quirky imagination. "Well, I, for one, will not be satisfied until we get something to eat. How about we head back now? I'm starving!"

As if on cue, Orihime's stomach growled. She blushed reflexively. "Uh...Sounds good."

Rangiku's chuckle turned into a full-fledged laugh. After she caught her breath, she stood up. "Then let's go."

Orihime nodded eagerly but waited until Rangiku had her back turned before she stood up too. No matter what, she was still shy. Wading in the water and drying herself lightly with her powers, she made her way to the rock she had changed behind and slid an arm around it so that she could pick up her clothes. However, oddly enough, she could find nothing in her grasp. "Huh?" She stood on her tiptoes and pressed herself flatter against the rock so that she could reach further around. Patting the ground with her palm, she tried to feel around for her clothes to no avail. "That's strange." She patted again. "That's really strange... Where are they?"

"What's wrong, Hime-chan?" Rangiku asked. She had already dried herself and slipped on her own dress, which truthfully didn't do much of a difference when it came to covering up her cleavage. "Is something the matter?"

Orihime pushed slightly away from the rock and turned to her friend in confusion, her modesty forgotten. "I can't seem to find my clothes."

Rangiku sighed, not in annoyance but more out of habit. Not being able to find things was a very frequent occurrence with Orihime. "Silly girl," she said fondly. "Where did you leave them?"

"Just behind this rock." She pointed for emphasis. "Can you help get them for me?"

"Of course." Rangiku walked lightly to the spot Orihime pointed at, looked around, and then frowned. "Orihime, I don't see anything."

"Eh?" The confusion on Orihime's face began to cloud over with the beginnings of worry. "But...I'm sure I left my clothes there."

Rangiku peered around the rock but saw nothing. "No, there's nothing here."

The worry solidified and the beginnings of panic began to grow. "What? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." The same worry began to materialize on Rangiku's face. "Are you sure you didn't leave it somewhere else, Orihime?" She began to move, circling around the rock and the surrounding area.

"I'm sure..." Orihime replied, her voice choking off as worry left and panic settled in. Without her clothes, she wouldn't have the ability to transform into a swan and return back home. "I'm sure I left it there! What should--" And then her words cut off as a scream left her throat. "RANGIKU!"

* * *

After cleaning himself off, Ichigo had just entered the cedar forest near his house not long ago. Axe in hand, he quickly chose a tree that was large enough to provide wood for at least a week but small enough that he wouldn't have to take a long time chopping it down. "This one will do," he muttered to himself.

Raising his axe, he was just about to bring it down on the treee trunk when he heard a woman screaming in the distance. His instincts taking over, he abandoned what he was doing and began running in the direction of the voice. Despite his rather unwelcoming facial expressions, he was a kind person and could never refuse a cry for help. The woman didn't sound like she was too far and Ichigo took heart in that. However, when another female's voice joined the first woman's screams, his heart raced. Quickening his pace, he yelled as loud as he could, "I'm coming! Hold on!"

Entering a clearing, Ichigo found the two women near a spring - one woman, a blonde, was dangling upside down from a tree branch. A rope was wound tightly around one of her ankles, holding her in place. While she was fully clothed, her dress had turned upside down because of her position and both of her hands were busy clutching her dress to the tops of her thighs. Her companion, an auburn-haired girl, stood thigh-deep in the spring and was completely naked. Ichigo reflexively froze at the sight of a naked woman, redness spreading over his face like wildfire. However, all thoughts of embarrassment fled from his mind when the woman turned to him and cried, "Please save my friend!"

Her voice spurring him into action, Ichigo did a running sprint toward the dangling woman. Jumping on a nearby rock, he used the momentum of his movements to propel himself upwards. He had just enough height to be able to slice the rope with the axe in his hands before gravity began pulling him down. Only then, in that split second, did he realize that he couldn't both cut the rope and catch the woman at the same time. "Shit," he swore quickly before glancing over his shoulder and yelling, "Be careful!" just as the other woman screamed, "Rangiku!" He caught just a glimpse of blonde hair and fabric rushing towards the earth before he had to face forward so that he could watch his own landing. Stumbling a little but still managing to land on his feet, Ichigo quickly spun around to check on the formerly trapped woman.

However, the blond woman was gone and only the auburn-haired woman was left. He stilled and glanced around the clearing rapidly, not comprehending what was happening. "Where is she?" he demanded. When the woman in the water said nothing, Ichigo asked again, "Where is she? Where's your friend?"

Orihime merely smiled sadly. "She's gone," she said simply.

In between her fingers, she held a long white feather.

_To be continued._


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **I got very little feedback for the first part of the fic so I'm not quite sure how interesting this story actually is. Plus, the characterizations of Orihime and Ichigo still bothers me. I'm just not sure I'm that good at writing about them. ;; Nonetheless, despite some reservations, I decided to keep writing this fic as a thank you to the people who took the time to comment on this fic. Thank you very much, Star-chan, Fostersb, xiao86, and Violet66. Your opinions mean the world to me. ^^

**Some quick notes on Japanese culture:** I took a little bit of liberty with the setting of the fic. It was actually during the Edo and Heian Eras that men and women weren't allowed to be seen in public together. However, I figure the same rules must have applied to Nara Period as it was an earlier era than both. (There's very little documentation on the Nara Period so I really can't be sure.) As well, Ichigo is wearing a hippari (sometimes called Junbei). I couldn't find a decent picture of it but you can at least see the hippari jacket here:

.com/apparel/happi/hippari/custom-hippari_

It's usually worn with shorts that cut right above the knee. Nowadays, men usually use hipparis as pajamas but back then (and occasionally now at summer festivals), men (and even women) would wear hipparis.

**Disclaimer:**While the story and writing is mine, Bleach and all its characters belong to Kubo Tite-sama. I only hold the rights to this story and I am not making any money off of this fanfic. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

**Dedicated to:**** Fostersb** - for being the first one to review on FFnet and on Five Lifetimes, One Love; and for giving me much encouragement! Thank you so much, honey. You're the greatest.

* * *

**White Feathers, Part 2  
By: Ritz**

"She's gone? What do you mean she's gone?" The situation was making absolutely no sense to Ichigo. In a matter of mere seconds, the blond woman had seemingly vanished into thin air; and instead of being concerned about it, her friend just stood there twirling a long white feather in between her fingers. Speaking of which, "And where did that come from?" he demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the object in question.

"This?" Orihime asked, her voice belying her surprise. It hadn't even occurred to her that the feather would appear out of place until now. "This is--" and as she looked down at the feather, her eyes hit the tops of her generous breasts and all thoughts flew out of her head as she realized she was still naked as the day she was born. "KYAA!"

Ichigo barely had time to blink before the woman in front of him let out a small shriek. At first, he didn't understand the reason for her distress until she haphazardly threw both arms in front of her breasts. He flushed a deep cherry red. That's right, the woman was still naked. In all the excitement, he had amazingly forgotten all about the woman's current state of undress. His eyes instinctively dropping down - a bad choice, he realized, as his gaze automatically fell to the batch of silky auburn-colored curls between the woman's thighs - Ichigo flailed his arms and let out a responding yelp. Spinning around so that his back was to the woman, Ichigo stammered, "I--I'm sorry!"

Orihime crouched down, sinking into the thigh-deep water until only her similarly flushed face was visible. "I-it's okay," she squeaked.

"I didn't see anything!" Ichigo cried - a blatant lie as his erection was already straining through the cloth of his dark pants. Though it had been brief, the little he had seen of the woman's soft curves and supple skin was already enough to make his heart thrum rapidly in his chest. "Really, I didn't," he repeated desperately, more to assure himself than her.

"I-it's alright." Orihime held her arms tighter against her breasts, even though there was no need for it anymore as she was already safely hidden by the blue of the water. "Really."

"Really, I'm so sorry!"

"Really, it's alright!"

There was a brief, strained silence between the two where Ichigo tried to will his erection down and Orihime tried to get over her mortification at being seen by a male. Then, Ichigo clenched his fists and said in what he hoped was a calmer voice, "You-you should put some clothes on. Where are they? I'll get them for you."

At those words, Orihime felt the adrenaline that had rushed through her veins disappear. "I--I don't have any clothes," she said in a small voice.

"What?" Ichigo wasn't sure he had heard her right. "What did you say?"

"I said," Orihime tried to make her voice louder, a difficult task considering how low she felt, "I don't have any clothes...at least not anymore."

"Wha--?" Again, this made no sense to Ichigo. "What do you mean you don't have any clothes?" A tantalizing vision of the beautiful woman frolicking through the woods naked flashed through his mind's eye before he firmly squashed the thought. Now was not the time to let his hormones run rampant. "How the hell did you get here in the first place then?"

Orihime's brow furrowed unhappily, an action that was unseen as Ichigo's back was still to her. However, there was no masking the despondency in her voice as she said, "I mean...they're gone. While I was bathing, they disappeared."

"What?" Who the hell runs off with women's clothing? Ichigo thought in disbelief. That had to be the weirdest reason he had ever heard. But then, this had been a very strange day altogether so... "Are you sure?"

Again, despite the fact that Ichigo couldn't see her, Orihime nodded. "Yes, it disappeared. That's why Rangiku-san was walking around looking for my clothes. But then she..." and here she trailed off, knowing that Ichigo would understand without her having to say more.

Rangiku. So that was the blonde woman's name, huh? Ichigo opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Orihime's sudden, "Why was that rope there? Why was Rangiku-san tied up like that?"

Ichigo shrugged before he answered, "Beats me. But...it might have been meant to catch some animal. People sometimes set up traps in these woods to catch rabbits or deer." But then why would anyone set up a trap like that? he thought. The act of using a rope to suspend something by the foot was not really practical when it came to catching light-footed animals and the location of the trap was just odd altogether. Ichigo frowned to himself but his reply seemed to satisfy the woman as she said a little more brightly, "Oh, I see. That's good. For a second..."

Ichigo's curiousity peaked as the woman trailed off again. "For a second?" he prompted after a brief moment of silence.

Orihime shook her head. "Nothing."

Nothing again? Ichigo felt his frustration starting to build at yet another non-answer. Too many things were being unexplained. "Look, just what the hell is going on here? The disappearing friend, the disappearing clothes, that feather... Just what kind of a game are you trying to play?"

Orihime winced at the harshness of the man's tone and tears instinctively welled in her eyes. "I--I'm not playing any game."

Ichigo cursed inwardly when he heard the tremble in the woman's voice. Shit. He hadn't meant to do that. "Look, I'm sorry," he tried again in a gentler tone, hoping to calm the woman down before she began crying. "I didn't mean it that way. It's just that there are too many weird things happening, you know? I just want to know what's going on."

Orihime nodded and did her best to will the tears away. "I understand that things have been confusing. I..." What should she do? It was a cardinal rule that humans were not supposed to know anything of the gods and revealing what she and Rangiku were could mean an automatic death sentence for the both of them. However, what choice did she really have? She was stuck in a spring with no clothes, no way back home, and no options. Plus, the man seemed kind and honest despite his gruff manner and Orihime somehow knew that he could be trusted. She took a deep breath. "I-I'll tell you everything," she said and was pleased that her voice sounded firm save for the tiniest quiver. "But first, would you be so kind as to lend me some clothes? I--I don't feel comfortable telling you like this." When Ichigo didn't respond immediately she began waving her hands frantically, causing little splashes in the water. "But, it's okay if you can't! I mean, I just thought..."

"It's fine," Ichigo broke in over the woman's protests, effectively quieting her. "Don't panic, alright? I was just thinking of what you can wear. It's not like I've got any woman's clothing on me." Making a quick decision, he undid the tie of his navy blue hippari and slid his shirt off. Extending his arm behind him, he offered the cloth out to the woman. "Here, wear this."

Orihime, who was already red as she watched the flex and ripple of the man's strong muscles, stammered a thanks before she stepped quickly out of the springs and took the shirt from the man. Donning it hurriedly, she couldn't help but feel gratitude towards this man. He was really so kind despite his appearance. Tying the strings of the hippari together into a simple knot, she said shyly, "Thank you so much. I'm done."

Ichigo turned around and then nearly wished he hadn't as he felt blood rush to his manhood and to his nose. Clapping a hand over his face, Ichigo wondered how this woman was able to make something as shapeless and boring as his hippari look sexy. His hippari was too big on the woman, draping a little loosely on her body and causing the v-line of the collar to cut just a little too low on her chest. Much to Ichigo's combined pleasure and dismay, he could already see the most tantalizing curves of her generous bosom from where he was standing. What made it worse was his shirt only went to the woman's upper thighs, revealing slender, shapely legs that seemed to go on forever. And then the woman's face... Ichigo swallowed hard and couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to touch that perfect skin and kiss those perfect lips.

Orihime squirmed under the man's intense gaze and couldn't help but wonder why he was holding his hand to his face like that. Was he alright? Maybe he was sick! Or, maybe he was disgusted with her. Oh...that made more sense. Maybe he was disgusted because she had done something wrong. She looked down at her clothing. Was it the hippari knot she made? She was never good at figuring out what kind of knot to make on what kind of clothing. Or maybe it was something else? "Um..." she began hesitantly after a few more seconds of silence. "do I...look alright? Maybe I made a mistake somewhere?"

Her voice snapped Ichigo out of his train of thoughts and he blushed madly. Clearing his throat a few times and giving his nose a firm squeeze before he was finally able to lower his hand, he said, "No. You...you look great," he felt his face grow hot again as the woman flushed at his words. He had never paid a compliment to a woman about her looks before and was surprised by the reaction his words seemed to inspire in--That's right. He still didn't know the name of the goddess before him. "Um, sorry. What's your name?"

The woman seemed to flush even more but her smile was welcoming as she replied, "Inoue Orihime."

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."

* * *

"Matsumoto!"

Dammit, where is that lazy woman now? Hitsugaya Toushirou thought impatiently as he strode down the halls of his wing of the palace. This was one of the times when he wished he had listened to his head and chosen someone with a better work ethic to be Vice Captain of the Vegetation and Crops Division. But his damn heart's insistence that Rangiku was smart, skilled, and infinitely loyal had won out over logic and he had ended up choosing her to act as his second-in-command - a decision that he was greatly regretting right now.

"Matsumoto!" he yelled again. "Where are you?"

"Captain... I'm here."

Rangiku's small, timid voice was a direct contrast to her usual confident, sultry one and alarm bells immediately rang in Toushirou's head before he even turned to look in the direction of her voice. "What is it, Matsumoto?" he asked in a calmer voice as his eyes fell on her. He did a quick scan of her appearance and noted no injuries or oddities, save for her looking rather disheveled and flushed like she had just run in a marathon. "What's wrong?"

Rangiku swallowed nervously. "Captain... Please promise you won't get mad at me."

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun, please promise that you will believe me."

The two had sat down on a nearby rock to get more comfortable and those had been the first words out of Orihime's mouth before she began her story. Ichigo had readily agreed to her request - partly because he saw no reason not to and partly because he couldn't resist the pleading of the woman's large gray eyes. But now that he had heard everything, he wasn't so sure he could take it all in.

The Sky Kingdom? Heavenly maidens? Transforming into a swan? Flying back to heaven? This was the stuff of myths and Ichigo really didn't care for the supernatural, despite being able to see and communicate with spirits. The events that Orihime had told him about just seemed much too grandiose for him.

And yet, it didn't seem like Orihime was lying to him. Though Ichigo wasn't the best at picking up on people's characters, he could feel the sincerity behind Orihime's words. Plus, everything just added up - what with the feather, the missing woman, and the missing clothes. But still...

"You don't believe me, do you?" Orihime's forehead creased in a frown and Ichigo felt the need to wipe the small, disappointed pucker from those beautiful lips.

"Yes, I do," he said a little too quickly. When Orihime gave him a doubtful look, he realized how insincere he sounded and opted to just tell her the truth. "Well, no. I don't entirely believe you. It all makes sense but it's...just a little too fantastical for me, you know?" At seeing her face fall, he continued rapidly, "But I'm sure you're telling the truth so just give me some time to take it all in, okay? I'll come around, I promise."

The disappointment that had settled in Orihime's chest lessened a little and she graced Ichigo with an encouraging smile. "I understand, Kurosaki-kun. I don't feel offended. Thank you so much for trying to believe."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck with the palm of his hand, suddenly bashful. "Aa," he said and managed a small smile back.

Orihime's face flushed and she quickly looked down at the hands that were folded in her lap. The smile that Ichigo had given her seemed to awaken a sudden awareness of him. While she hadn't noticed before, she could now keenly sense the heat radiating from his skin, the warmth of Ichigo seeming to burn through the cloth of her hippari. It was odd that she hadn't realized it earlier but it suddenly occurred to her that Ichigo was a very good-looking young man.

There was another awkward silence as the two studiously kept from looking at each other before Ichigo cleared his throat again and asked, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Orihime didn't look up from the hands in her lap, not quite trusting her eyes not to betray what she had been thinking earlier. "I don't know," she said quietly. "I should go home but I can't. And I have no where to go instead... So, I really don't know."

"I see." Ichigo finally turned to look at his companion, taking in her lovely profile, and said the first thing that came to his head. "Then, come stay with my family for a few days. It'll give us some time to figure out how to get you out of this mess and back home to heaven where you belong. What do you think? Does that work for you?" As the words left his mouth, Ichigo wondered what the hell he was doing. However, the minute Orihime turned to look up at him all his doubts flew out of his head.

"Yes," Orihime replied, her eyes glistening and her mouth curved into a grateful smile. "Yes, Kurosaki-kun. That sounds perfect. Thank you so very much."

Ichigo felt his own lips curve in return.

He was such a sucker.

* * *

They were such suckers.

Gin's eternal grin widened even more as he watched the couple from the branch he was standing on. Aizen's original plan of capturing the girl - Orihime, it turned out her name was - had failed the moment the other woman - Rangiku, as she was called - stepped into the trap that was meant for Orihime. He personally would have preferred to take Rangiku back with him - her bold, almost flashy beauty was more to his tastes - but he knew Aizen only wanted Orihime. A pity. "I guess the brilliant idea of capturing the healer once her friend went to get help failed after all," he said quietly to himself, his voice mocking himself as much as he mocked Aizen. But he was far from disappointed and he knew Aizen would mirror his sentiments. He had gotten the heavenly robes, had been treated to the most entertaining little show of acrobatics by that boy with the ridiculous name, and had more knowledge about the Sky Kingdom.

Yes, it had been a good day so far.

Though now, with the couple below making eyes at each other, Gin was starting to bore of the whole conversation. You'd think the boy had never seen a beautiful woman before. He was obviously a virgin. For a few seconds, Gin imagined with pleasure how fun it would be to shock the two lovebirds with a sudden appearance from him. The look on their faces would be priceless! Especially if he were to take his blade, run the boy through with it, and then carry the girl away. He licked his lips in glee. However, as much as the imagery tempted him, he definitely knew better than to cross Aizen's orders for a "covert operation". Any misstep or free interpretation on his part would result in him losing a limb or two - and that was only if Aizen was in one of his more generous moods.

As the two children, as Gin regarded them, got up from the rock, Gin couldn't help but be glad that the boy had joined in on the fun.

He had a feeling that the boy was going to make the whole game much more interesting.

* * *

When Orihime suddenly shivered in the falling temperature, Ichigo came to realize just how long they had been sitting there. "Oh shit! It's already getting dark!" he exclaimed, springing to his feet. "My family will be wondering why I'm not home for dinner yet." He offered his hand to Orihime to help her up. "Come on, let's go."

Orihime put her hand in his, marveling only briefly at how small her hand looked resting in his larger palm, and let him pull her off the rock. As her feet hit the ground, she suddenly realized something important. "Kurosaki-kun," she said urgently, "do you happen to have any spare shoes?"

Ichigo stared at the randomness of the question. "What?"

"Shoes," Orihime repeated, pointing to her bare feet for emphasis.

"What? Why don't you have--oh."

If this had been any other time, Orihime would have found Ichigo's sentence and facial expression hilarious. Right now, however, she just felt guilty for being a terrible burden. "I'm so sorry, Kurosaki-kun. I'm always causing you--ack!" she screamed as Ichigo suddenly clasped her waist with both hands and threw her over his right shoulder. "Ku-Kurosaki-kun! What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? Taking you home, of course. What does it look like?" Ichigo replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"But, but..." Orihime protested as Ichigo's arm twisted upwards to clutch her around the waist. She flushed and covered her face with both hands.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"It's just that...I'm heavy," she said in a small voice.

"It's fine," Ichigo said. "Actually, you're not as heavy as I thought you would be."

"And also...my shirt..."

"Hm?" Ichigo turned his head to look at the girl but got an eyeful of Orihime's smooth, bare buttocks instead. "Ah!" he screeched, jumping up and nearly dropping the woman in his surprise. Orihime yelped in response and he hastily set her down. His cheeks were once again aflame. "I'm sorry!"

"No, no, it's my fault," Orihime said quickly, her cheeks rivaling his. Her hands smoothed down the shirt that had ridden up her legs when Ichigo had picked her up. "I'm sorry."

There was yet another embarrassed silence between them.

"Uh..." Ichigo began after a few seconds of awkward staring. "So, how should we do this?"

Orihime studied the length of the shirt, noting that it only hit her mid-thighs. Every position seemed dangerous to her except... She flushed and looked up at Ichigo, who met her gaze. A responding look of comprehension crossed his face and he was beside her in one quick stride. Ignoring her protest, he scooped her up in his arms and held her tightly against his chest as he began heading back to his home.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried, one hand holding her shirt to the front of her thighs in an effort to protect her modesty and the other hand wound around Ichigo's neck for support. "Please stop. It's really okay. I can walk."

"Shh," Ichigo shushed. "I can't carry you like this for a long time so we gotta get back as fast as we can. Don't distract me."

At Ichigo's firm - but not unkind - voice, Orihime's mouth opened and closed several times before she finally acquiesced to Ichigo's command. She felt torn. One part of her was absolutely thrilled by Ichigo's chivalry and the other part was writhing in embarrassment. Sneaking a quick peek at Ichigo's face, she couldn't help but admire his handsomeness once again as they wound pass trees and stepped over rocks on the way home.

Orihime felt a strange fluttering sensation grow in her chest as Ichigo tightened his hold on her as he hopped over a rock. Just what was happening to her?

After what seemed both like an eternity and altogether too short to Orihime, Ichigo announced, "Almost there. The edge of the forest is up ahead."

Orihime snapped herself out of her thoughts. "Eh?" she responded, her head turning in the direction of Ichigo's. Seeing the sliver of light that peaked through the trees get bigger and bigger, Orihime felt her stomach begin to clench in growing anticipation. Then, just as the two reached the edge of the forest, a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Kurosaki-kun," she whispered frantically, the hand that was around Ichigo's neck batting at him a little, "you have to put me down."

"Why?" Ichigo asked, not breaking stride. "We're almost there. There's no sense in me putting you down now."

Orihime shook her head. "No, it's not that, Kurosaki-kun."

"Then what?"

"It's because this looks bad, Kurosaki-kun."

"What looks bad?" Ichigo asked. He thanked all the gods above that he didn't live far from the forest. Orihime wasn't that heavy but his arms were definitely starting to feel the strain.

"Me and you. This situation. It looks bad, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Why?" Ichigo asked automatically before comprehension dawned on him. "Oh." He stopped about two feet from the back door of his house. "Damn. I didn't think of that."

"What do you think we should say to your family, Kurosaki-kun?"

"We can't just tell them the truth, huh?"

"Kurosaki-kun!!!"

"Okay, I know, I know. Just throwing it out there."

"...How about if you say I'm a friend that you're helping out?" Orihime suggested after a pause.

"I can't do that! Men and women aren't supposed to be together in public unless they're married or walking under an umbrella. Plus, what kind of friends are we with me in just my pants and you in my shirt?"

Orihime blushed. That's right, her and Ichigo were still half-naked. "Then how about if I'm your prisoner?" she suggested instead.

"What?" He couldn't have heard that right.

"Your prisoner!"

"My prisoner?!"

"Yes, we can say that I'm this spirit - no, this nymph - no, this witch! - that lives in these woods!" Orihime's eyes brightened as the story began to unfold in her mind. "And everyday, I terrorize the townspeople by sending wild, ravenous bunnies with long, sharp fangs into people's gardens and homes. However, you, Kurosaki-kun, the Prince of Slayers, bravely went into the depth of the woods where my secret hideout was and then, using the sword of absolute truth you shot a ray of light at me and defeat---"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Ichigo demanded.

"No?" Orihime was genuinely confused. "It's not a good ide--"

She was cut off by the door of the Kurosaki house opening.

"Ichi-Nii, why are you--Oh my God!"

As Karin stared dumbfounded at the sight of her older brother, her _half-naked _older brother, with a _half-naked _girl in his arms she couldn't help but think what Ichigo said out-loud,

"_Oh shit_."

_To be continued._

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note:**How do you think Ichigo should introduce Orihime to Karin? ^^

Any comments or constructive criticism about this fic (particularly in regard to Ichigo and Orihime's characterizations) would be much appreciated. *bows deeply* Thank you very much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's ****Note:** Oh my goodness. I can't believe I haven't touched this fanfic in close to two years. I'm sorry. Does anyone even remember this fanfic? (hears crickets chirping) Well, I wouldn't be surprised. At any rate, for anyone who actually remembers this fanfic, you may want to read chapter 2 again just to get re-familiarized with everything... I even had to do that myself!

**Disclaimer: **While the story and writing is mine, Bleach and all its characters belong to Kubo Tite-sama. I only hold the rights to this story and I am not making any money off of this fanfic. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

* * *

**White Feathers, Part 3**

**By: Ritz**

"Karin!" Ichigo exclaimed as he stood, frozen, just outside the entrance to his home. Face burning with embarassment, he set a mortified Orihime down on her feet quickly. From what he could see in the semi-darkness, her cheeks were as red as his. "It's not—"However, before he could finish his sentence, Karin launched herself at him and punched him on the underside of his jaw. "OW! What the hell did you do that for?"

"What do you think, Idiot?" Karin demanded as she pointed an accusing finger at Orihime who flinched and tried to make herself look as small as possible. "What did you do to her?"

"What do you mean, what did I do to her? Can't you see that I res—" Ichigo caught himself just in time, "-Uh, I, that is... I..."

Karin huffed in disbelief as she watched her brother flounder for words. "Honestly, this is so typical. That's why I hate boys your age."

"Hey, it's not what you think it is!" Ichigo protested, hotly. "I'm not like that!"

"That's what they all say."

"Kurosaki-kun really isn't like that!" Orihime cried out before she could stop herself. She clapped a hand over her mouth as both Karin and Ichigo turned to look at her in surprise. When no one said anything right away, she lowered her hand from her mouth and repeated in a quieter voice, "He really isn't..."

"Inoue..." Ichigo said in a voice that was an odd combination of gratefulness and wonder, and Karin couldn't help but swing her eyes from the girl to her older brother in undisguised surprise. When her gaze flitted back to Orihime, a small smile began to unconsciously creep across her face. So that's how it was, huh?

"Never mind," Karin said with eyes and a voice that were considerably softer and calmer. "I don't know what's going on but let's talk about this more inside." She looked at the taller girl who, with her slightly bent knees, looked like she wanted to sink into the grass and held out a hand in a gesture of good will, "You must be cold in only that shirt, right?"

Suddenly reminded of the state of undress that she was in, Orihime ducked her head and automatically began tugging the hem of the hippari downwards again. "Ye-yes, thank you. Um..."

"Karin. Kurosaki Karin." She jerked a thumb in Ichigo's direction. "I'm that pervert's sister."

"Karin, you little-!"

"Speaking of which," Karin turned to her brother, completely unfazed by the furious glare that he gave her, "what you are going to tell Yuzu and that idiot father of ours?"

"Huh? Tell them about what?"

Karin rolled her eyes at her brother's apparent surprise at the change of subject. "About her, of course." She tilted her head slightly in Orihime's direction in indication. "What are you going to say about her?" When Ichigo still looked confused, she gave a sigh of exasperation. "You know...how are you going to explain why she's here and why she's...well..." she trailed off with a meaningful look in her brother's direction.

Ichigo and Orihime, whose blushes had faded earlier, both turned red again. "Nothing happened!" Ichigo protested, before saying in a rush, "And as for why she's here...well, that's because..." and here Ichigo glanced at Orihime for help but found it for naught as the woman seemed more preoccupied with trying to disappear into the grass again. "She's my...uh..." He racked his brain for an answer. What could Orihime be? His friend? His neighbour? His classmate? His teacher? His doctor? His patient? His victim? His...?

When her brother didn't reply right away, Karin prompted with an edge of impatience in her voice, "Well? She's your what, Ichii-Nii?"

"She's my prisoner!"

"What?"

Ichigo slapped his hand against his forehead when he realized that he had just blurted out Orihime's last idea. "No! No, I didn't mean that. Ignore that. I meant, she's, uh..." Come on, Ichigo, think, he willed himself. What would be an acceptable explanation for them to be seen like this?

"Well?" Karin demanded, her slim foot beginning to tap with annoyance. "What is she, Ichi-Nii?"

"She-she's my wife, okay?" he blurted out without thinking. "She's my wife!

There was a moment of silence in which Ichigo wondered if he had momentarily lost his mind and both Karin and Oirhime stared at him open-mouthed with matching expressions of horror on their faces.

Finally, Karin said dryly, "Well, I guess that explains why you would say she's your prisoner."

* * *

"After that boy cut me down, I was falling to the ground so I had no choice but to transform. And since I had to transform, I had to fly away so the boy wouldn't see what had happened. But that meant that I had to leave Orihime-chan there. I thought maybe I could get help and I came back here as fast as I could but Captain, maybe I..." and here Rangiku trailed off, suddenly unable to find her voice as the weight of her guilt and worry weighed down on her.

Seeing the usually free-spirited Rangiku looking so distraught, Toushirou couldn't find it in himself to feel angry at her anymore. "Don't worry, Matsumoto..." he said evenly, "You did the right thing. But now's not the time for us to be sitting here talking about this. Let's talk to Kuchiki and have her locate Inoue as quickly as possible. From what you're telling me, the boy doesn't sound like he's a threat but we still need to find her before she says something to the boy. We'll also need to make sure we reach her before _they_ do."

Rangiku's eyes flashed and she couldn't help but physically jolt at what her Captain was suggesting with his last sentence. It had never occurred to her that things could possibly be so dire. "The Hunters, Captain? But surely they wouldn't know that Orihime is on the earth right now. I mean...everything happened less than an hour ago. Surely, it's impossible to know so quickly."

"I don't know, Matsumoto," Toushirou said, "Perhaps I am just overthinking things but," and here he looked grim as a dark memory resurfaced in his mind's eye, "I would never put anything past Aizen."

* * *

"Ohohoho! So my son went out and found himself a wife now, did he? That's my boy!" Isshin Kurosaki laughed boisterously and planted his hands on his hips. "And she's so beautiful too! Tell me, Orihime-chan," and here he turned to the poor blushing girl who was standing awkwardly in their sitting room, "what was it that drew you to my son? Was it his height? His face? Or perhaps he seduced you with the infamous Kurosaki—ahhh!"

Ichigo scowled and swung his fist at his father, effectively knocking him into the closest wall. "Shut up, Dad!"

"But really, Orihime-chan, I'm surprised my brother could get someone of your level," Karin said as she took note of the Isshin-sized dent in their sitting room wall without missing a beat. "Did he put something in your drink to make you say yes?"

"Karin, you little-!"

"But we're so happy that you're now going to be part of our family," Yuzu cut in as she reached out and took Orihime's hands in her own, squeezing them effusively. She had taken an instant liking to her new sister-in-law. "We'll take good care of you, I promise!"

"Mother, mother!" Isshin cried out as he pried himself off of the wall and ran toward the hanging painting of his late wife on the wall opposite to him. "Father just got himself a third daughter, Mother! And who knows, Father might soon get his first grandchild too—ahhh!" he screamed as Ichigo punched him again.

"Shut up, all of you!" Ichigo shouted. "For crying out loud! Can't you see that you're embarrassing Inoue, here?"

Much to his credit, everyone immediately turned to look at Orihime who began shaking her head vigorously. "No, no, I'm okay—"she began.

"We're so sorry we've been so rude!" Yuzu, who had not yet let go of Orihime's hands, cut in before the older woman could finish. She began tugging the taller girl towards one of the cushions on the floor. "Come, sit down, sit down. We'll have ourselves a nice meal and celebrate this good news and—" Yuzu then stopped in both movement and sentence, looking at her brother as she suddenly realized something. "Ichi-Nii, did you bring back the firewood you were supposed to? I need it so that I can start cooking!"

At Yuzu's question, Ichigo suddenly realized something. "Oh shit. My axe! It's still back in the woods!" He jumped to his feet and all but yanked the sliding door open. "I'm going to go get it. Be right back!"

"Ichi-Nii, you're going now? But it's so dark outside! Can't you get it tomor-" Yuzu protested but it was for naught as her brother slid the door shut behind him with a loud clatter. "Mou! Why did he have to leave so quickly?"

Karin shrugged. "Forget about him, Yuzu. You know how he is when he gets something into his head. How about we go over to Tatsuki-chan's place and ask if we can borrow some firewood from her instead? Ichi-Nii will take awhile so we should go ahead and at least get dinner started. I'm starving." She nodded toward the tall auburn-haired girl who was watching everything with big grey eyes. "We can also ask if she can lend us some clothes for Orihime-chan while we're at it," she continued.

"That's a good idea, Karin-chan," Yuzu said cheer. She squeezed Orihime's hand again, visibly determined to make the older girl feel like a part of their family as quickly as possible. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Aizen-san," Gin called lightly as he crouched by the sliding door to Aizen's personal room. It had taken him some time to reach Aizen's residence at the outskirts of Karakura-cho. Upon his arrival, Tousen had informed him that Aizen had already retired to his own room. "I got the robes 'ya wanted. Sorry 'bout the girl though. She was rescued by some orange-haired kid wieldin' an axe. I considered killin' 'im but decided it ain't worth the trouble. Hope that was okay wit' 'ya."

The door slid open and Gin got up from his crouching position so that he could meet his leader's eyes. Aizen didn't look angry, he noted quickly to himself. Good. He hadn't miscalculated when he had decided not to bring the girl back immediately. While his chestnut-haired leader didn't inspire in him the same fear or loyalty that Aizen's other followers seemed to have for him, Gin still felt it prudent to act cautiously. Aizen could be merciless when it came to punishing people for their mistakes.

"Aa, don't worry about, Gin," Aizen said as he took the robes from the silver-haired man. "Whether we bring her here now or whether she comes later, it really doesn't matter. She can't leave now that we've got these." He shook the clothing in his hand just slightly to emphasize his point. "So it's only a matter of time until we get her." He tilted his head to his side and then turned back into his room. Gin, having been with Aizen since his early teens, immediately took that motion as his cue to slip his shoes off, step into Aizen's room, and slide the wooden door shut behind him.

His movements as smooth and silent as the snake he often compared himself to, Gin entered the inner room of the older man's luxuriously furnished quarters and waited for his leader's next instructions.

Aizen sat down at one of the cushions placed around his glossy lacquer dining table and carefully placed the robes on the ground next to him. He deliberately took his time with his movements and only looked at Gin again after the younger man had sat down on a cushion across from him. "Syazel is just about completed his work on our little doll," Aizen continued smoothly as if there had been no break in the conversation. His mouth unconsciously twisted into a little smirk. "I must say that he's done quite an impressive job. Save for the stitching, even I would be hard-pressed to find any differences in Hinamori-kun's appearance. At any rate, we won't need the healer until after our little doll is ready, which should be another fortnight according to Syazel's best estimates."

"Sounds interestin'," Gin drawled. "And until that time, is there anythin' in particular 'ya would like me to do, Aizen-san?" His smile was wider than usual. "I'm at 'yer service, as always."

"Aa, there is something, Gin," Aizen replied. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward with an answering smile. "How do you feel about accompanying me on a trip into town tomorrow?"

* * *

"Ichi-Nii, I had no idea you were so brave – doing such a noble thing as rescuing Orihime-Nee from that horrible dungeon. That's so wonderful," Yuzu gushed, her eyes starry as she looked at her brother admiringly across the table.

Wanting to groan out-loud, Ichigo shoved another scoop of rice into his mouth so that he wouldn't say something that he would regret later. One of the reasons why Ichigo had been so eager to go retrieve his ax was because he had wanted to avoid more awkward questions from his family about Orihime. Little did he know that while he was away, Orihime had created a fantastical story about how the two had met. Apparently, he had rescued her from a thin, pencil-like man with a bushy moustache called Don Kannoji. This Don Kannoji guy was apparently keeping Orihime hostage because he felt that she was a bad spirit who wanted to steal his powerful "Bwahaha" move that he used for hunting animals. Ichigo had chanced upon her one day in the woods and, seeing her locked up in an underground dungeon that had been built at the root of an evergreen tree, he had valiantly rescued her from her plight. Or something like that.

To be honest, the story was so convoluted and absurd that Ichigo had missed hearing exactly how he had rescued Orihime because he had been too busy staring at his family with his jaw wide open. He had already come to realize that the auburn-haired woman possessed a very strange imagination and only someone as innocent and unassuming as Yuzu would take such a ridiculous story as truth. But he was astonished that his father also appeared to believe this insane story that made absolutely no sense to anyone sane.

But then again, this was his anything-but-sane father he was talking about. Why was he feeling surprised again?

Ichigo grunted around his mouthful of rice as Yuzu seemed to be waiting for some sort of response from him. Satisfied with his apparent agreement to what she had just said, Yuzu then turned to her father who laughed and said something that Ichigo deliberately tuned out because he was sure his father was probably spouting off another one of his "Kurosaki charm" lines. As he pried a chunk of flesh off of the mackerel that Yuzu had grilled so beautifully, he wondered once again why he had such a strange family and he couldn't help but sneak a peek at Orihime to see how she was handling everything.

Part of him felt immensely sorry to her because he had announced to his family that she was his wife without her consent. However, another part of him felt oddly happy despite the almost surreal situation he was currently in. Despite his gruff nature and constant scowling, even he had to admit that he had a soft heart and he genuinely enjoyed helping others. Orihime, in particular, with her large doe-like eyes, sweet demeanour, and gentle mannerisms had attracted him to her almost instantly; and knowing that he could come to her aid made him feel even better than usual.

Almost as if she felt his eyes on her, Orihime glanced in his direction. Though the auburn-haired girl reddened almost instantly when their eyes met, she gave him a warm smile; and that's when Ichigo realized why he had been so attracted to her.

She reminded him of his mother.

Physically, they resembled each other only in the slightest of ways. His mother had been light-haired and fairly tall for a woman too. Though, truthfully, Ichigo didn't consider himself the best judge of his mother's height considering he had only been a boy when his mother passed away. However, what really made him think Orihime was like his mother was the _feeling_ he got from her. There was a natural warmth to her that, like the sun, unconsciously drew people to her. Even Karin, who Ichigo knew didn't buy the whole song-and-dance about him being some hero who rescued her from some villain with a couple of screws loose in his brain, seemed to like her. Considering how standoffish Karin could be to people she was suspicious of or didn't like, that was saying a lot.

"Ichi-Nii, why are you staring at Orihime-chan like that?" Karin suddenly asked, having only noticed that her brother was looking at his wife rather intensely when Orihime began to fidget in her seat. "Is there something wrong?"

"Ohoho, my son was probably just captivated by Orihime-chan's beauty!" Isshin interjected. "Ichigo, you must learn to be patient! You'll get your "alone" time with your new wife soon eno-ow!" Isshin suddenly went quiet as both Karin and Ichigo reached across to punch him, effectively causing his head to hit the table with a loud thump.

"Are you okay, Kurosaki-san?" Orihime asked tentatively when she saw that Isshin didn't move immediately save for the occasional twitch of his shoulders.

A beat of silence and then, "Ohoho! How sweet of you to be concerned for my health, Orihime-chan!" Isshin exclaimed and leapt to his feet, looking every bit as well as he did before – save for a nasty red bump that was rising on his forehead. "I knew my son chose well. Orihime-chan, you must make sure your good manners and kindness rubs off on this ungrateful son of mi—aiyee!" and Isshin suddenly went quiet again as Ichigo also got to his feet and kicked him into the nearest wall.

Orihime couldn't help but sweatdrop as Isshin made another large human-sized dent in the wall.

* * *

"Understood," Rukia said after both Toushirou and Rangiku had finished relating the day's events to her. "Unfortunately, I can't set out tonight without arousing suspicion from my brother and my husband but you have my word that I'll depart for Karakura-cho first thing tomorrow morning to find both Inoue and this orange-haired boy."

"We're terribly sorry for disturbing you, Kuchiki. We know you're busy with your duties in the Weather Division," Toushirou said gravely. "And we hope that this won't cause you inconvenience with Kuchiki and Abarai."

"Captain," Rangiku hissed in a not-so-quiet whisper, "The least you can do is say their names. What's with calling both Rukia-chan and Byakuya-san Kuchiki and Kuchiki?"

Toushirou merely looked at her and shrugged, which led to Rangiku tapping the tips of her fingers against her Toushirou's shoulder several times with an almost chiding, "But Captain, that's rude!"

Rukia gave a quiet amused chuckle as she watched the interaction between the captain and the vice-captain. It was no secret that Toushirou and Rangiku had the closest working relationship among the 13 Divisions in the Sky Kingdom. While of two completely different personalities, they complemented each other so well that there was even a betting pool on when the two would eventually marry. "No, it's no trouble at all," Rukia then continued, not at all offended by Toushirou's failure to differentiate between her and her brother in speech. These things honestly mattered very little to her. "As the assigned guardian of Karakura-cho, it's also one of my duties to look after its citizens. Plus, Inoue is a good friend of mine and I would do anything for her. I will be discreet."

"Thank you, Kuchiki," Toushirou said. His voice was calm as always but Rukia could hear that he was grateful that she had chosen to guard their secret for them. If word got out that Orihime and Rangiku had revealed their powers and origins in front of humans, they would be severely punished. "We appreciate the trouble you are going to for us." He rose from his sitting position and immediately, Rangiku followed suit. "We'll leave it in your capable hands then."

"Aa," Rukia said. "Leave it to me."

* * *

Ichigo thought that he was in the clear after that rather strenuous dinner with his family but he realized that he was far too naive because there was yet another hurdle that he had sadly completely forgotten about: Bedtime.

Orihime and him both stared down at the one solitary futon that Yuzu had spread out on the ground for the two of them. It had completely slipped both their minds that posing as husband and wife meant certain assumptions being made about the two of them – including that it was natural for them to share one bed.

"Um..." Orihime said out-loud in the awkward silence. "Why don't you take the futon, Kurosaki-kun? I'll—"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ichigo cut off before she could finish. "What kind of man would I be if I did that to you? YOU are going to take the futon. I'll find somewhere else to sleep."

"No, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime protested. "I would never be able to live with myself if you had to do that. After all, I've already inconvenienced you so much! I'll, um..." she did a quick scan of Ichigo's sparsely furnished room and finding that it consisted of nothing more than a writing table and a sitting cushion, she said, "I'll sleep in your closet!"

Ichigo gave her an incredulous look. "My closet? Are you out of your mind? Who the hell does that?"

"But I really don't mind! I'm sure it could be very comfortable..."

"There's nothing in there but wooden shelves. How is that in any way comfortable?"

"Well, um..." Think, Orihime! "Sleeping on wood is good for the back?" she offered finally.

"You're-" Ichigo began before realizing that they would most likely be arguing about who got to sleep on the futon until dawn. This would get them no where. "Forget it, Inoue. Let's just both sleep on the futon. I mean, it's not like we have any other choice...and we're both reasonable adults, right? If we're just sleeping next to each other, then there's nothing wrong with that."

The problem is if we're not JUST sleeping with each other, a voice in Ichigo's head slyly insinuated but he quickly suppressed those words and the thought that accompanied it. The last thing he needed was a raging hard-on when he got into bed with Orihime. He was already having enough trouble not showing any interest in the gorgeous, gray-eyed woman as it was.

"Um..." Orihime blushed and lowered her eyes, peeking out at her companion from under auburn eyelashes as she asked shyly, "Are you sure it's okay, Kurosaki-kun?"

Unbeknownst to her, Orihime's eyelashes were incredibly long and the effect of those thick lashes against the creamy skin of her face was unbelievably charming and provocative. Ichigo felt his breath catch in his throat and he turned away abruptly. "I-it's fine!" he said, his voice uncommonly gruffer in his attempt to rein in his reaction. Not sure where else to look or what else to do, he bent down and threw open the covers. "Come on, let's get to bed then. We've got a busy day tomorrow."

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said, a little hurt by how rough Ichigo sounded. She must be causing him so much trouble. Not wanting to be a bother much more, she quickly laid down on the futon and turned on her side, drawing the covers over her slim body. Ichigo blew out the fire in the lamp and with the room suddenly engulfed in darkness, she felt more than saw Ichigo settle next to her. The two were only a few inches from each other and, while Orihime wasn't sure in which position Ichigo had laid down in, she could distinctly feel the man's body heat permeating into her back. It caused her to give an involuntary shiver. She had been denying it all evening but the more she was around Ichigo the more attracted she was becoming to him. Of course, he was a good-looking young man but, for someone who had lost her entire family to Hunters, it was really his interaction with his family that drew her to him. Though his tendency to punch his father into the walls was still somewhat shocking to her, she could tell that his family was very important to him and that he would effectively do anything for them – particularly his two younger sisters.

Kurosaki-kun is really such a kind person, Orihime thought to herself. She felt lucky that he was the one who had found her by the hot spring. Imagine if it had been someone less genial or even less noble...

"Hey Inoue," Ichigo's voice suddenly cut through the quiet of the room as he laid with his back to Orihime.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun?"

"I'm sorry I called you my wife. I must have put you in an awkward position. I just couldn't think of what else to call you at the moment."

Was that what he was worried about? He really was so thoughtful. "No, Kurosaki-kun, don't be sorry! I completely understand why you did it. I really didn't mind."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, if anything, I should be the one saying sorry. I'm inconveniencing you so much..."

Ichigo could almost hear the girl bite her lip in consternation and he wanted to stop her from beating herself up so much. Really, she worried way too much for her own good. He flopped onto his back so that his voice could be heard more clearly. "Stop it, Inoue. You didn't do anything. Did you force me to bring you back here?"

"No..."

"Did you even ask me to bring you here?"

"Well, no, but..."

"But nothing. Since you didn't force or ask me, it means it was my choice. It means I wanted to bring you back here. So quit worrying, okay?"

Orihime was silent for a second and then she also turned so that she was lying on her back. With the two lying next to each other now, this new position caused the sides of their arms to press against each other and Ichigo wondered if he should try shifting over a bit to put a little space between them. However, before he could move, he felt slender fingers curl softly around his wrist underneath the blanket.

"Thank you for everything, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said gratefully. She withdrew her fingers but she didn't turn back on her side.

Suddenly, Ichigo didn't think it was necessary to move anymore.


End file.
